Chapter 7

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Chapter 007: The Difference Between an Apprentice and an Assistant

One morning, Jesse went to Mage Quarter after resting for a few days and felt like he was ready to face people again.

Even though there were still bruises on his face and he was walking a bit awkwardly, at least he had taken off the bandages on his arm, and he looked like a normal person on the surface, showing signs of rejoining life.

When he arrived in Mage Quarter, he knocked on Eden Malin’s door. Master Malin wasn’t there, and a young woman in her twenties was cleaning the room inside.

She glanced over and had a slightly noble-looking square face with sharp features. Her dark brown short hair was neatly combed back. When Jesse saw her, he thought she looked a lot like Malin.

"Hello, you must be Mr. Jesse Seso, right? My father went to Redridge and may not be back for a week. He mentioned you might come by soon, but he didn’t say you were this young…"

"Are you Master Malin’s daughter?"

"Yes, I am Amy Malin, an apprentice mage at the Wizard’s Sanctum. By the way, you encountered a Gnoll near Westbrook Garrison a few days ago, right? In the middle of the night?"

"Yes, if it wasn’t for Master Malin, I might not be alive today."

Amy Malin said worriedly, "I didn’t expect the Gnolls to return at this time. When the Orcs invaded this land, they caused severe damage to their tribes too. They benefited from the Orcs being pushed back. It’s despicable that they turned around to attack us."

"Maybe they can’t understand gratitude or cooperation due to their intelligence," Jesse said.

Amy said, "I also wish to treat them as pure wild animals, but Gnolls also have warlocks. Even Black Magic accepts anyone willing to accept it, at least it requires a certain level of intelligence to understand spells. Sorry for going off-topic, maybe the experience that day made me a little scared, worried that my father might get hurt. He asked me to wait for you, to help you get acquainted with the work, let’s start from here…"

Watching Amy put down what she was holding and wash her hands from the wooden basin nearby, Jesse said, "Actually, I came today to discuss the terms."

Amy wiped her hands and asked, "Don’t you know about the treatment of mage assistants on this side of the Wizard’s Sanctum? By the way, you are from the north, aren’t you? Your accent sounds like you’re from the Kingdom of Lordaeron."

Jesse nodded. When he first arrived in this world, he had memories of common languages like Chinese and English, to avoid a strange accent took some effort. At that time, he never expected that when he grew up, everyone could tell he was from Lordaeron.

Amy said, "Let me give you a brief introduction and see what you think. Every month, 6 silver coins, you can eat with the mages in the Wizard’s Sanctum’s restaurant. As for accommodation, the Mage Quarter has free dormitories specifically for apprentices and assistants. They have always been full, but because of the expedition, some apprentices have gone to Nethergarde with their mentors, there may be some empty rooms, I will keep an eye for you. You could move in as soon as next month."

"Thank you, it’s really a trouble for you."

"No, I should thank you for helping my father instead."

"Is the food also free?"

"It’s free, but it might be boring, with just a few snacks and bread. If you want better food, you can go to a tavern outside. I don’t recommend The Slaughtered Lamb, the atmosphere there always feels strange."

Listening to Amy’s description, this was pretty close to what Jesse had expected. Staying in a rented room for one more month and paying extra rent was okay for him, considering he could stay in the dormitory for free for a long time.

He had thought his monthly salary would be higher, especially working in the Mage Quarter, but 6 silver was still better than many places in the city.

The most important thing was that he had the chance to become a mage.

"Now it’s time to work." Amy picked up a mop and said, "Every morning before my father arrives, around this time, I have to clean my father’s study. Including mopping the floor, dusting. After the Ogres visited, there was a lot more dust compared to when I was younger. You don’t have to organize the books, my father will do that himself, it’s much easier than me organizing the library… much more relaxing."

Cleaning the study, dusting was not a problem for Jesse, he had been a sanitation officer for several years in high school.

"The specific tasks, my father will explain in detail when he comes back, for today you can clean up here." After saying this, she wiped her forehead, relaxed a bit and said, "Finally, someone to help me out. Since my father sent his apprentice to Redridge, he left all these tasks to me."

"That’s all fine, miss." Jesse couldn’t help but ask, "I actually wanted to know, when can I become an apprentice?"

"An apprentice?" Amy was surprised for a moment, then asked, "Do you mean, becoming an apprentice at the Wizard’s Sanctum, to be my father’s apprentice?"

"Yes."

"An assistant is different from an apprentice… An assistant just helps mages with their daily tasks, while an apprentice has to learn magic."

Hearing Amy speak so casually, Jesse felt shocked. Why couldn’t he become an apprentice if he wanted to be a mage’s assistant? It didn’t make sense to him.

So that’s it, that’s the reason they were willing to accept him. Malin just wanted someone to help with physical work, not to find an apprentice.

Why ask all these weird questions then? Jesse felt like his emotions were being deceived, but it was strange to feel this way about an old man.

Seeing the boy looking surprised, Amy asked, "How old are you this year?"

"17, turning 18 soon."

Amy shook her head and said, "To become a wizard apprentice, training usually starts at a very young age, around 11 or 12. If you’re your age now and don’t have exceptional talent, it might be too late to train to become a qualified mage. Following my father’s instructions, I started studying at Wizard’s Sanctum at 12, and now I’m 26 and still haven’t become an official mage. If I don’t advance by 30, my father may be disappointed."

She sighed and continued, "But there are quite a few apprentice mages over 30 at the Wizard’s Sanctum, most of them became apprentices before they were 15."

"What if," Jesse said, "I mean, what if I have a really strong talent? Like, super strong."

Amy asked, "Have you ever tried casting spells before? Master Medivh was already proficient in using various types of magic when he was 10 years old…"

Is she cheating, huh?

The Demon King, the dark Titan Sargeras possessed? Amazing, right?

An 800-year-old Tirisfal Guardian being a mother, amazing, right?

Jesse clenched his fist, feeling the pain of not having cheat codes, being hung up to be beaten by the brainless genius of the native plane.

He took a deep breath, calmed his emotions a bit, and said, "Someone like me… of course cannot compare to the most powerful mage in human history. But I also want to try, is there any way to test my talent?"

"Of course there is," Amy said, "It’s all about the basics of Arcane abilities, connecting with Ley Lines."

As she spoke, she pulled out a book about learning arcane runes from the bookshelf, flipped to a page with a rune that Jesse recognized as an arcane rune.

Amy skillfully drew runes on another blank scroll of paper, on the verge of completing a rather complex new rune.

Jesse started to feel a bit nervous now, sensing that he might not become as proficient even after ten years of practice.

While the female mage was drawing, Jesse even glanced at the top of her head to see if she had secretly buffed herself with something like Arcane Intellect, otherwise this apprentice mage seemed too out of line.

After finishing the drawing, Amy handed the unrolled scroll to Jesse and said, "Make it glow, please."

"What?" Jesse looked at the rune scroll in his hand and asked, "Is there no instruction on how to do it?"

Amy explained, "A gifted child will naturally comprehend the ability to resonate with the Ley Line during their growth and will habitually practice this resonance, like biting nails, which is not painful, but addictive… So it is unlikely that a child will consciously restrain themselves, the High Elves being an extreme example of this habit. If you do not know how to do it, it may mean that you are indeed not suitable to be a mage."

"Is that so?"

Jesse felt a bit annoyed, clutching the scroll and attempting to close his eyes to sense the existence of the so-called "Ley Line."

Ley Line can be understood as the lifeblood of Azeroth.

Azeroth is actually a young Titan who has not been born yet. The veins of the Titan are filled with pure Arcane energy, not blood.

The Well of Eternity, guarded by ancient elves, is the leader of the Titans in ancient times, Aman’Thul, the father of gods, accidentally caused a wound while trying to rid Azeroth of the evil parasites.

It can be said that every creature born on Azeroth is influenced to different extents by Ley Lines. And those who can harness Ley Lines will in turn affect Ley Lines, and even Azeroth itself.

Jesse firmly believed that he could resonate with Ley Lines.

Maybe the key is here – awaken, the supreme magical gift.

He focused intently, ignoring the slight pain in his lower abdomen from where Hogger kicked him.

However, despite his intense focus, the scroll remained unchanged.

Maybe there’s an issue with your rune drawing, apprentice mage?

He wanted to ask directly, but felt too embarrassed to speak up.

Amy took the scroll and glanced at the runes on it. The arcane rune immediately shimmered with a faint white magical light, covering the walls and objects in the room with a light purple glow.

"That’s it," Amy raised her eyebrows and said, "It’s a pity, Mr. Jesse Seso."

Jesse felt his head buzzing, not wanting to believe the result.

What kind of time travel is this?

Not only does he lack talent, but he’s not even as good as an ordinary apprentice?

However, this dissatisfaction quickly passed. Over the past decade, he had grown accustomed to such disappointments.

In fact, he had done similar Arcane tests when he was a child, though not as reliable as this time. It could provide some insights, but he was hoping for a change this time.

In the end, there was indeed no change.

He realized that the path of a mage might not be for him.

"Thank you, Miss Amy," Jesse said. "Actually, I want to become an apprentice not necessarily to learn magic, but to expand my horizons and learn some new knowledge that I don’t understand."

Amy smiled and squinted her eyes, saying, "I’m glad to hear you say that. The library is open to all those who work in the Mage Quarter. Come here in the afternoon, and I’ll give you a badge that shows your identity. With this badge, you can freely enter and exit the Wizard’s Sanctum."

"That’s great, just what I’ve been hoping for."

As Jesse spoke, an idea popped into his mind. He had to visit The Slaughtered Lamb again… no, not just once.

He needed to go again and again, not just to earn money, but for something more important.

Black Magic is different from Arcane, just like Amy said, "Black Magic is willing to accept all who accept it."